


We Have The Stars

by TazzyKy



Series: You Are My Star [2]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:13:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22149223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TazzyKy/pseuds/TazzyKy
Summary: Bill Cipher lost everything in the span of a day. His star was gone along with everyone they had ever known. All he can do now is sulk around until he can find himself again. Or at least until his star returns to him.
Relationships: Bill Cipher/Dipper Pines
Series: You Are My Star [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1594228
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	1. Love is Eternal

**Author's Note:**

> It's me, back from the fucking dead to rip your hearts out again with the sequel that you've all been asking for. I was honestly never planning for this, especially something that had to with reincarnation, but you guys seemed so broken over the first ending that I felt like I had to do this to make up for my sins. Now, the original first draft of "You Are My Star" was never finished, but it did have an ending in progress. I'm sure you all would've preferred that ending over what I gave you because in that ending Bill became mortal and died with the twins. But hey, that ending has and never will see the light of day! So you're all lucky I changed up the ending in the final version!! Because now I have no real excuse other than pure laziness to not do this. So sit back and let me cause more pain with the next few chapters before happiness comes back.

**The Red Thread of Fate is a myth originating from a Chinese legend. According to this myth, the gods tie an invisible red cord around the ankles of those who are destined to meet one another in a certain situation or help each other in a certain way. The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch, or tangle, but never break.**

_ Love /ləv/ - an intense feeling of deep attraction _

Love is a pretty powerful drug. When you feel it, you _really_ feel it. It can suspend time, making the whole world seem still except for you two.

It feeds you more than any nourishment; you feel full in the presence of love.

But there's a vast difference between love and _true_ love. True love knows no depth. It's an endless tunnel that sweeps you up in the whirlwind and you're never quite free from it. It stays with you. And you hope this person will too. True love isn't ordinary. It doesn't come around often and that's how you'll known it's genuine.

For some, it grows and ebbs like the tide; while for others it comes in like a storm, leaving only destruction in the wake. It could warm you in its embrace or burn you with its bitterness.

You never even know what brings forth that feeling, that realization that you are in love, that you found the piece that fit into the puzzle of your life.

For some, it is when they lie next to someone and brush the hair falling on their lover's face, they come to the realization that they are in that moment, smitten.

For someone else, it is weakness and vulnerability and telling what couldn’t be told. 

It could be a glance of acceptance, the murmured longings of the wishes of someone else’s heart, or a meal cooked together after a hard day’s work.

It could be a knock on your door, a speeding of your heart, a desire to give all.

It could be feeling vulnerable, feeling naked, actually being naked.

It could be like a song on repeat or a shuffling till you get what you want. 

It could be scary-exciting like a thunderstorm or sticky and overheating like the feeling after a humid rain shower.

It is holding on, when all has been lost.

Falling in love is sneaky. suddenly, you have what the whole world wants. It is like having the world in your arms and still feeling that you never have everything you want. It’s irritating because it makes you dependent. And you, you who pride yourself on individuality, fall around to change yourself, to be less volatile.

It’s scary. What if what you love, doesn’t want you back?

It’s lonely. To go back to what you didn’t have.

It’s possessive. Irrational. And a thousand maddening senses and sensations, all at once.

It is when you say someone’s name, you have power. And when they say your name, your name has never been said like that.

It is to dream and want and be restless and craving and anxious and to check your phone all too often and get angry that the world around you is the way it wasn’t anymore.

It’s tough to sleep because you are thinking. It’s tough to work, because even if you are not with your lover, your being constantly embraces the desire for togetherness.

It is secret and sly and shadowy and dark and pungent and light.

It is foolish optimism and dangerous overconfidence.

That is what the feeling of being in love is.

It’s the highest high.

\--------------------------------------------------

Demon culture is perhaps one of the most complex and ancient cultures out there. Other than angels, they are the oldest creatures that roam our planet Earth. They've had millenniums of laws, forever changing. Rules that divided them from the heavenly creatures that floated above with their white wings and golden halos. No, demonic laws were everything that an Angel was not. They were allowed the destructive life, hell, they were encouraged to be dangerous creatures.

Though there was just one rule, The First Rule, that kept these two beings connected: Loving a human is forbidden.

To love a human could result in a few things: exile, loss of powers, and ultimate death.

Yet throughout the eons of their creation, there had only been a handful of both beings that had given up everything for a human. Though as the years had gone on, more and more were falling to the weak creatures. Both beings began to feel as through they were losing a battle, one that they didn't want to fight, but didn't want to lose. They could feel The First Rule deteriorating before their very eyes.

But hope had blessed them when a certain yellow dream demon had lost their mind. With a dark mind and twisted soul both beings began to believe that he was their savior at spreading fear throughout the rule breakers ad rebuild the traumatizing name of The First Rule.

Yet not in a million eons did they ever expect that same demon to destroy their hope in a matter of short human years.

There were riots in both Heaven and Hell when word spread of the demon being connected to a human, not to mention a child. One that showed only fear and weakness. One that showed no sigs of making it past the age of 16. One that didn't even believe in love themself. 

Yet the two had fallen in love.

The Counsel, outraged by such an offense, decided to let the two love as a way to ultimately punish the demon in the end. For a demon can only lose its powers if taken away by The Counsel themselves. And power means immortality to a demon. As a last resort to fix the deteriorating First Rule, they would force the demon to lose their soulmate, ending in a forever aching broken heart. This demon would serve as an example to the rest.


	2. The Hunt Begins

Dipper Pines was born on August 31, 2001. But he was not the only one born at that very moment in time. Seconds after he emerged into the world, another one of him came out also. But this one was not exactly like him, this one was a baby girl.

Dipper and Mabel Pines. A boy. A girl. A brother. A sister. Friends. Twins. The two had stuck together through their entire lives. Through thick and thin. They were each others shoulder to cry on. They were each others helping hand. The only person they could ever truly trust were each other.

Though their strong bond would begin to fade when they visited their great Uncle, Stanley Pines, in a small town known as Gravity Falls. Mabel's bond with Dipper would be broken as another showed up to take her place.

Yet despite this broken bond, they remained at each other's sides. Through thick and thin. They had survived life together. Even in death, they were with each other.

They were both 87 at the time of their deaths. August 31, 2088. Just three days before they took their last breaths, they sat on the couch together, reminiscing about the good old days. Back when they were still young and lively. When Dipper's adventurous side would result in a hospital visit. When Mabel's flirty side left them into a run for their lives away from a dangerous creature. When they still had their great uncles. When they still had their parents.

Mabel had felt complete the next day. Nothing was missing to her. She had her brother beside her, reliving their great life through memories. She went looking through their old album books. Of course that mad her feel as though somethings were missing. Her friends had all died before the both of them. Her wife being the first to go.

Yet for Dipper, nothing felt right. The pictures didn't add up. The memories didn't add up. His heart didn't add up. Something was missing from his life. But that thing wasn't there with him. And he had no memory of what it was.

\--------------------------------------------------

Just three days ago, Bill Cipher had lost the love of his life. Everything he knew was now gone. The warmth in his heart went cold. The noise around him became silent. His kids no longer knew who he was. His grandkids had no memory of him. Everyone he had welcomed into his life and loved, now gone.

Ad with that emptiness, he went back to the old Mystery Shack as a broken and defeated man. He left everything where it was. Never getting rid of any of the twin's old stuff. The lizard head remained above the old no longer working tv. Blue's two headed bat sat beside it. The office space still had Dipper's old laptop. The black piano still sitting beside the old desk.

Bill spent most of his time in the office. He was either sitting in Dipper's squeaky old chair, or lazily dragging his fingers over the piano keys. He only ate when his body truly needed it. Sleep became non existent to him. In a way, he had died along with the twins, but his body still remained.

For 251 years, the empty feeling and the lonely days remained. He wasn't completely lonely of course. Blue made the occasional yearly visit to make sure he was still alive. But Bill's weight had dropped to just skin and bones. His clothes hung loosely from his now skeleton like body. Dark and heavy bags formed under his eyes. The light in his eye had disappeared completely. The smile now permanently formed down into a constant frown.

\--------------------------------------------------

It was like any normal day for Bill Cipher since the twins had passed. Roll out of the bed after drowning in his sorrows all night rather than sleeping. Sulk around the office with a cigarette between his lips as he reminisced on the thousands of conversations with Dipper. Every once in a while he'd go out into the halls and just lie on the ground and stare blankly around until the tears would come crashing down on him. His happy routine was now filled with a sadness that he couldn't escape. And honestly, he didn't care anymore. It's what he deserved.

He deserved to feel an empty loneliness that could never be filled. He deserved to be surrounded by silence. He deserved to lose his heart. He deserved to be tortured the way he tortured Dipper all those years ago. And today would only add to that punishment.

Bill had been walking around the shack, slowly finishing up his daily morning sulk in the office when a wave of something crashed against him. He sat up from the floor and looked around. No one was around him, not even the creatures of the forest dared to get near the shack anymore. His eye shifted to the only thing he actually maintained these days, a blank white calendar on the desk. Blue isn't due to visit today, so who could he be sensing then? With a quick push, he stood and strode off to the kitchen.

He leaned against the old cracked counter watching his coffee swish around in the ceramic cup. A shock rolled down his spine as a familiar aura began to approach the shack. Bill walked away from the counter, ignoring the fresh cup of coffee, as he made his way slowly to the front door. His mind raced around trying to connect the aura to a face. It clicked in his head at the same time the door flew open, smashing against the wall. Standing in the doorway was 8 Ball, with a sly smile plastered on his ugly yellow face, "Long time no see Bill. I'm surprised you're still alive after all these years."

Bill raised a brow as he took one step towards his old friend, "If you're just here to talk shit, then I suggest you leave. I'm not in the mood to deal with you."

8 Ball began to stride across the old wooden floor as he spoke, "Why the hate pal? U thought we were close! After all, I did help you out with the whole Weirdmegaddon thing."

8 Ball was never the type to hold a grudge towards anyone, no matter how fucked up you were to him. So why was he here? Ad why was he acting so strange? Bill began moving away from him, very slowly, "Just tell me why you're here and get on your way. I don't like having visitors."

The ugly demon stopped in his tracks His smile morphing into a toothy grin, "Oh old friend, I can't believe you really don't sense that. We all did the moment he was born. You better get ready to start running again Cipher." he flexed his long claws as he took one more step before pouncing towards Bill.

With a flash of smoke, Bill had disappeared. 8 Ball shook himself off before Bill's scent waded into the shack from outside. Bill was sat on the tall rotting totem pole, "Like I said 8 Ball, leave. I don't want any trouble. Just let this old demon rot in peace."

Anger was all he could feel as he lunged towards the pole and began to scratch away at the old wood, "You just don't get it Bill! I spent all that time following you and praising you! I did everything you asked! Yet you, the most powerful demon out there, allowed yourself to become this weak broken man all because of some little human! If you can't appreciate your powers, then I'll just take them for myself!"

Bill rolled his eye as he snapped his fingers. Blue chains sprouted from the ground to bing 8 Ball back as he jumped down to face his old friend. "I don't know what you think you're doing, but I want you to think about how this will end before you continue. Did you really forget that my powers nearly triple yours?! I don't want to kill you, but if you keep pissing me off then I just might have to."

8 Ball stared at him before throwing his head back to let out an earth shaking laugh. He snapped his black glowing eyes up to look directly at Bill, "You're more dumb than I remember! You're vulnerable again. The kid's spirit finally returned to this world."

Bill stumbled back, a warmth spreading across his back as it moved to his left hand. His heart raced as he slowly looked at the back of his hand. The sigil had found a new place to stay on his body, but this time it was faint. 8 Ball's laugh brought Bill back to the moment. He tugged the sleeve of his yellow sweater over his hand, "If I'm dumb, then what does that make you? Did you forget that my powers don't weaken until he comes of age? His birth means nothing to anyone util he's 18." the chains disintegrated into thin air, "Come back when it's time, and then try to fight me. You won't gain anything but death if you do it now."

8 Ball shook his shoulders before taking off for the forest. A splitting headache came at full force at Bill's head as he made his way back into the little shack. He collapses onto the old beaten up couch. He reached his hand up with a quick wave and a small flinch as Blue's face appeared before him, "Bill? It's not like you to call Did something happen?"

"We need to talk, in person." he held up his hand as shock spread onto Blue's expression.

\--------------------------------------------------

On February 14, 2339, in busy bustling New York, a young beautiful baby boy was born. Willow Hawthorn, with his snow white skin and his bond hair, his parents feared that the newborn wouldn't be able to survive with how small he was. he was born at 2.8 lbs. But Willow's parents had to more to be concerned abut than his below average weight. Willow was born with emphysema. A lung disease which makes it hard to breathe. His parents watched with despair as the doctor and nurses tried to keep Willows breathing stable. After what seemed like an eternity, Willow reached a stable state and was taken away for extra care. No one wanted to admit it, but none of them expected the newborn to make it through the night. He was expected to die before the day was over and the sun had set.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't realized just how short and probably boring the first chapter was, but the real story begins and things will start to get exciting.


	3. We've Got The Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone asked about what happened to Blue and his twins after the events of the first story, so now I'm granting them and everyone else the knowledge of what happened to them with this chapter. Enjoy!

It had been exactly three months since 8 Ball popped up at the shack to break the news to Bill. Now, he sat at the kitchen table with his attention drawn to the trees. A body slid into the seat in front of him. The cancer stick that he clung to was taken from between his lips and pressed into the ashtray between them, "Are you sure you can trust him?"

His attention turned to the blue demon sitting in front of him. Blue hadn't changed much over the past 300 years. He was able to stand his ground against the twins now, but his personality and appearance were still the same. Bill envied him, but it's not like he could hate the last living member of his fucked up family. With a snap of his fingers the cigarette reappeared in between his fingers, "I don't know at this point. I mean, he hadn't been on my side since Weirdmegaddon. But then again, what have I got to lose from believing him? I've lost everyone already. Everything I've ever cared about is gone and dead. Unlike you, my twins didn't have a connection to my powers to keep them alive for all these years."

Blue glanced out the window to focus on what had caught Bill's eye. The twins stood out by the tree line messing around with the local creatures. But these weren't Bill's joyful twins. Instead, they wore blue clothes with yellow flames dancing around them. Their eyes were dark and empty, not bright and full of life. Blue let out a short and quiet sigh, "Bill, you're like my brother. I know it hurts and you hate me for it, but what can I do about it? It was their choice to live with me forever. They still have their protective issues with me and you know they won't let me come without them! Just appreciate that he hasn't tried talking to you since his death."

Bill's brows furrowed. A wave of smoke flooded out from his mouth, "Appreciate that I haven't killed them yet. You know damn well that if it bothered me that much I would've done it! You think I give a shit that that thing is still living?! That _thing_ isn't my Dipper! Live or die, I couldn't care less about those monsters you cling to."

"Bill..."

"I appreciate you Blue, not those things. We were a family. You're all I have left. But those two? They're nothing to me." Bill's eye glared at the two siblings.

Blue slowly reached a hand out to rest on Bill's, "I know and I'm sorry. We should've done something."

Bill's eye landed on the symbol that was etched into Blue's hand. His eye began to burn and blur as he slid his out from underneath and into his lap, "Blue, I love you, but please, please don't touch me. And please don't show me that thing."

He glanced down at his hand, "I'm sorry, I guess I just assumed that by this point you would've taken comfort in some old friend. I didn't think you'd be able to go this long," the only response that came from Bill was a cloud of smoke, "Listen, when I go back to my Falls, I'll spend me entire time trying to find a way to get him back. I'll ask everyone I know if 8 Ball is telling the truth. It's been so long Bill, it hurts me to see you like this."

"Thanks I guess."

Blue smiled, taking a sip from his coffee, "You'd do the same for me."

Bill sat up on the roof that night. His eye focused on the dark sky above him. He slowly lit a new cigarette as he searched for the one constellation he cared for. A thin smile spread across his face as it appeared through the thick trees, "We'll always have the stars my little Pine Tree. Told you I'd never forget you. Now I just wished I actually knew what to do," he pulled his knees up to his chest, a tear brimming in his eye, "I miss you Dipper."

\--------------------------------------------------

Mabel came walking into the room holing a few large books in her hands. She tossed them down onto the desk in front of Blue as she laced a hand on her hip and the other on the desk, "I don't see why you're helping out that pathetic excuse for a demon. He's broken and there's no way to fix him. Once a human dies, they stay dead. There's no coming back from that Blue."

"I know, but what if it really is possible? I can't just sit around anymore waiting for him to get over it. He's not sleeping. He's not eating. He's smoking all the time. He needs help and this is the only way to give it to him. I have to do what I can. They were my family too."

Mabel opened her mouth as flames began to lap at her fingertips. A boot me crashing down onto the book that Blue was reading, stopping any thought she had on her tongue. Her eyes followed the boot to look at her brother's dead blue eyes staring right at her. A shiver ran down her spine as she stood straight up. Even though he had been slumped over in the chair beside Blue and was half awake, he still had the power to put fear in her with just a look of those bone chilling eyes. A thin hollow smile formed, "If you keep bothering him about this shit then I swear I'll put your head on display above the fireplace. Sister or not, master to him or not, he's allowed to do as he pleases just as I'm allowed to punish you for bothering him. He's not harming us or himself. That dumb shit took care of him after all. We owe them one Mabel. Plus, if we died, wouldn't you appreciate it if he tried to help Blue get us back?"

Mabel clenched her fist as she began leaving the room, “This ends the moment it does become dangerous to us.”

Blue nodded as he pulled Dipper’s leg back onto his lap. He spent weeks locked in that library of theirs just reading books and communicating with whatever demon he could think of. Dipper remained in his chair, rereading anything Blue might’ve missed and keeping his sister in line. It took almost four months, but with the help of the twins, he had found the answer.

\--------------------------------------------------

Bill sat slumped over the piano as his fingers lightly moved along to a song that he had cherished. The front door creaked open as Blue’s voice filled the empty shack, “Bill! I’ve got great news!”

The yellow demon emerged from the room to find Blue sitting at the kitchen table with notes spread out in front of him. His attention drifted to the brunette standing by the sink filling up two glasses of water. She slowly turned to look at him before walking out of the room. He watched her disappear with a slow puff of his cigarette before falling into the empty seat across from Blue. He looked over the papers laid out in front of him, “I thought we talked about the twins coming into the shack.”

Blue slunk down into his chair, “I know, but we didn’t have time for them to actually eat or drink anything since I wanted to get here as early as we could. I told them that I would get it for them but Mabel likes to cause scenes. But anyways,” he slid a folder of notes to Bill, “The human spirit is much more complex than we demons give them credit-”

Bill’s stare pierced into Blue’s, “We’ve known each other for almost 300 years, by now you should know that I’m not a patient man. Cut to the chase Blue.”

“Right. Well, to summarize it, 8 Ball was telling the truth. It turns out that the human soul can find a new human vessel even after it’s been roaming the earth for so long. A bond between a demon and a human is something that not even death can break. It’s the most powerful thing to ever exist that not even the Fate sisters have the power to break it. But that strength comes from the demon, and that’s why they have to be the one to die in order for the bond to truly break. The demon soul powers the human soul and keeps it alive. With the demon gone, you remove that life support and the human soul is just a regular brittle human soul. Get what I’m saying?” Bill slowly nodded, “Since you’re still around, Dipper’s soul was never allowed to pass on to the final realm. He’s been roaming the earth this entire time as a lost spirit. It took him giving up and accepting that there’s nothing left for him in that form. Acceptance is the requirement for a human soul to be released. He couldn’t find a new vessel until that moment. And he finally did. Six months ago. That weird feeling you got and the sigil moving was his soul being put into a newborn baby. You felt his presence come back into the world. And you haven’t felt it in so long that it gave you a strange feeling.”

A warm feeling began to well up inside of Bill. It was something he hadn’t felt since Dipper died. But that warmth died down the moment it began, “But he doesn’t know who I am anymore. What if he doesn’t even look the same? The worlds gotten so much bigger since he passed. There’s no way I can find him.”

A little smile found its way to Blue’s lips, “Bill, are you forgetting who we are? You’re the most powerful dream demon in the world. In every dimension of you that exists, you come out as the strongest one. You were worshipped by the Counsel themselves at one point. But you do have a good point. He’s back and the bond is still very much there, but it is dormant until he turns 18. But remember, it’s a new body and a new mind. He’s trauma free meaning you get a do over with him.”

Bill let his head crashed down onto the table with a loud groan, “You mean I have to get him to fall in love with me again?! He’s so hardheaded and stubborn that it’ll take years to accomplish that since he doesn’t remember me”

“You can ease him back into remembering. If you drop little hints every here and there, he’ll slowly start to remember. But you have to be careful. If you drop too much or all at once then he won’t be able to handle it. And-”

He sighed, “Yeah I know, he’d die from it. You don’t have to remind me of that.”

Blue glanced out the window to see his twins glaring into the forest. A dark figure stood in the trees silently watching them. He swallowed hard as he turned back to Bill, “Just please be careful. They’ll be hunting you down again, and god knows how much harder they’ll fight for it now that there’s a second chance.”

Bill blew a cloud of smoke towards the window as he slyly smiled, “I’d like to see them try.”


	4. Little May

On April 30, 2341, Willow was dropped off to stay the night with his grandparents. His parents on the other had rushed off to the hospital before Willow could say goodnight to them. While Willow had spent the night laughing with the elderly couple, his mother lay screaming in agony. On May 1, 2341, at 2:48 in the morning, May Hawthorn was born into the world. The heartache their parents had once felt with their firstborn was now washed away as the doctor announced that she was healthy.

When Willow's mother returned home with a blanket in her arm, the three year old went running up to her. He held tightly onto her legs as his father came down the hall. His mother leaned down to show him the new baby. Willow's bright green eyes looked over his new sister. She also had white blond hair and pale skin. In that instance, Willow knew that this little squishy thing would end up becoming someone that he had to protect and care for his entire life.

\--------------------------------------------------

Bill sat at the kitchen table with his cheek squished against the old wood. A cigarette lazily burned in front of him, inches away from his mouth. Blue and Mabel stood at the counter preparing dinner. Dipper sat across from Bill, arms crossed over his chest as he glared out the window. Blue glanced over his shoulder to peak at Bill. He turned around with a frown, "Dipper! I thought I asked you to keep an eye on him! Starting today he's quitting smoking. You can't let him put that thing in his mouth anymore."

Dipper looked at the blue demon before looking down at the sad excuse of a creature sitting in front of him, "First of all, you're not the one with authority around here. Second, it won't kill him. Third, it's not my job to watch after some low life demon who gave up because of some weakling. He had the chance to do something about it but instead he sat back and watched as the thing he claimed to love died. It's his own problem. Not mine. And not yours."

Blue looked at him with fear. Not because he knew he'd be punished for talking to Dipper like that once they got home, but because he could feel the anger radiating off of Bill, "Can we please-"

Bill stabbed a knife into the table between him and the blue twin, "Say another fucking word about him and I swear to god I will kill you."

Dipper’s blue eyes narrowed, “Just because you’re stronger than our Bill doesn’t mean shit to me. You’re just as weak as he is emotionally. I’ll say whatever I damn please to about that slimy little shit.”

Bill wriggled the knife out from the table as Blue ran to them, snatching it from his hands, “You need to take two steps back Bill! And as for you Dipper, you can’t just say that shit to him no matter how much you hate him. You promised me you’d put up with him and try your best to be friendly just for me. Don’t break another promise.”

Dipper groaned as he slunk into his chair. He lazily looked over at the yellow demon, “Forgive me, I suppose I’m just hungry.” and with that, his attention moved right back to the forest outside.

Bill leaned back in his own chair. There was an aching pain in his heart as realized it had been over 250 years since he’d heard Dipper’s voice. He ran a hand through his short hair as he held back a tear, “Yeah, whatever kid. But I still don’t get why you both feel the need to babysit Blue when he comes to visit. He’s older than the both of you for crying out loud. He can take care of himself.”

Mabel had finally had enough as she slowly turned around. The three of them grew anxious when they noticed the odd sweet smile she held, “We don’t come to babysit him. We come to babysit you. You’re so beat up over this human that Blue feels that we all need to come so that you get at least some social interaction every once in a while. We really do try to be kind to you Bill, we do try talking to you and becoming a family. But you refuse to accept it because of what we remind you of. I’m sorry that they’re gone, but at least your Dipper has returned to this world. So can you find it in your heart to accept us?”

Bill looked back and forth between the two twins. It hurt him to see them living and breathing when they weren’t actually his twins. Yet it was comforting to still see their faces and hear their voices even if they weren’t the same. He shrugged as his head fell back to the table, allowing the cigarette to roll from his mouth.

Blue gave a defeated smile as he moved back to his chopping beside Mabel. He had barely been able to cut the onion in half when a shock struck him. The knife fell from his hand as the chair behind him scratched against the floorboards. Bill came from behind him, clutching the blue demons shoulders and spinning him around. Tears began to fill their eyes as the familiar aura fluttered through the house. A sad filled happiness spread across Bill’s expression as he searched over Blue with desperation. Blue slowly nodded as he pulled his clone into a hug, “They’re back Bill. They’re finally back and you can finally see them again.”

An ugly sobbing noise was all that Bill could respond with as happiness spread across his body. A feeling he thought would never return to him for the rest of his long miserable lifetime. He had spent the last three centuries as an absolute wreck and today that would finally come to an end. The years of broken screams and never ending tears had finally been worth it to him. His star had returned to the world along with its joy. His punishment was nearing his end.

Though it had never been a concern of his, hugging Blue had made him realize just how frail he had become over the years. He stepped back, with his cigarette limp between his lips, and looked over Blue, then down at his own self. Blue had never achieved the body that Bill once had, hell he had never been any bigger than Dipper was, “You win, starting today things are gonna change for me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you say anything, yes I know this chapter is pretty short. But hey, not every chapter can be a 10 page essay.


	5. Not Right

Willow Hawthorn was perhaps one of the most unproblematic kids to ever walk the earth. He never cried unless he had a serious injury. He never spoke back to his parents. He was never rude to anyone. He was the sweetest most joyful child anyone had ever seen. He was liked by all of his teachers and classmates. There wasn't one person who had a bad thing to say about him. Yet this perfect child had an odd obsession.

No matter what was thrown at him, Willow had always managed to excel in all of his classes. He was a bright student with a promising future, with his strongest suit being art. But that's where the problem stemmed from for his parents and therapists. He had a strange obsession to triangles or to the color yellow. Ever since he was able to move his little chubby arms, he would always gravitate towards yellow objects. Of course when he was just a toddler, his parents didn't think too much of it other than their child just learning his shapes and finding his favorite one. No, what was really concerning for Willow's parents was the fact that he drew the same three figures in almost all of his drawings. While he could only draw stick figures as a kid, he would always give the two people brown hair and add a strange yellow object beside them.

At first his parents just assumed he was drawing out his dreams, yet as Willow got old enough to talk and actually understand things, he revealed what his dreams really were. They still consisted of the same three people from his drawings, except they were always in some more gruesome scenes than his drawings.

Now on the outside Willow's life might have appeared to be perfect. He and his sister were close to each other and their parents. They both were amazing students and the most perfect children that anyone could ask for. They were well liked with plenty of friends from daycare. And his parents were successful CEO's of their own personal company. They lived in a beautiful penthouse apartment in the middle of New York City and lived a lavish life. Yet underneath that perfection lied the childhood that Willow truly had. He truly did love his parents, but he disliked the way they treated him as though he was made of thin glass. They worried about his odd behavior and sent him to therapy when he was too young to even understand what its purpose was. They were never truly home because of their business and even after it had taken off, they were home a lot less than often. Whether they were home or off on a business trip, Willow was never allowed to play with friends. They worried too much about his frail lungs and what could happen if he were to be away from their apartment. So he spent his childhood locked up in its glass walls, only allowed to leave for important reasons. All of this wouldn’t have bothered him, if his sister had been left out of it. To keep things fair between the siblings, May had to occasionally take a visit to the therapist. She was also never allowed to hang out with friends or have them over. She was a prisoner to Willow’s illness just as much as he was. 

Yet May never cared. She never believed that she needed anyone else in her life other than her older brother. She never cared to be apart from him. He was her safety and her anchor. Without him, she was terrified and alone. 

So here the siblings sit, age 7 for Willow and 4 for May. They were laying on their large couch watching tv as their nanny prepared lunch. Their parents had been gone for almost a week now and would continue to be gone on a business trip for another two and a half weeks. This was their life. 

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Seven years ago Dipper had been reincarnated into the world. In those years Bill had managed to bulk up almost to were he had once been. He had gotten onto a normal sleeping schedule and began keeping the shack clean. His routine had turned into him waking up, breakfast, chores, lunch, work out, try to quit smoking but failing, venturing out in the forest, talking to Blue, dinner, shower, bed, repeat. But as anyone would, he had grown tired of the routine and decided it was time to start his journey. Bill stood out in front taking one last look at the shack and the memories he had created. He lit the cigarette that was in his mouth before walking to the car and tossing his last bag into the trunk. As he reached his hands up to shut the old rust bucket, a small bag was tossed in under his arms. He turned around to see Blue standing there with a smile and three bags around him. Bill lifted the cigarette from his mouth, “And just what do you think you’re doing? You know damn well those twins won’t let you out of their sight for nearly 12 years to come with me. They don’t even like me!”

Blue’s feet shifted to kick up some dirt beneath him, “Well, my Dipper isn’t has bad as you think he is, so please stop doubting him. Sure he might dislike you a little bit, but he truly does care for me and he listens to me. They gave me permission to go with you for as long as you need. But they have to be able to visit me monthly so I don’t lose my sanity.”

Bill let out a sigh as he turned away, “Shove them in wherever you can.” 

Blue bounced into the passenger seat with a beaming smile as Bill was looking over a map. Blue snatched the oversized paper from his hands and squinted, “You do realize what year it is right? GPS’s have been a thing for hundreds of years, no one’s touched a map in centuries!”

Bill’s head slammed against the horn, allowing it to scream for a few moments before Blue peeled him back against the seat. He glared at the frowning demon beside him as he started up the car, “I swear to whatever humans believe in now, if you say shit like that to me during the time I’m stuck with you, I’m going to end your existence. So, if you value anything in life, shut the fuck up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It just dawned on me that these last couple chapters have been pretty short... I hope you guys don't mind that and are still sticking with me on this odd journey but we're almost to the really good juicy parts!!


	6. Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italic text indicates when Dipper's in a dream.  
> Yeah baby guess who's finally bringing this shit back!

Blue glared out the window as he studied the sea of cacti. He pressed his forehead against the glass pane as his warm breath began to fog it up, “I’m not one to question you and your motives, but I don’t think we’re going the right way Bill. I feel like I’ve seen that cactus before.”

Bill slammed his head back against his headrest, “I swear to fucking god Blue! We’re in the middle of a fucking desert, what are you expecting to see? A fucking alien tribe that’s managed to hide from humanity for thousands of years?!”

Blue perked up to look at him, “Oh you know what, that would be really cool. I wonder if there really is an alien tribe on earth. We should go looking for one.”

His smile faded as Bill’s expression darkened. Before Blue could rejister what was happening, Bill’s hand smacked him across the face. “You better shut the fuck up. If we weren’t immortal I would’ve crashed this car 3 years ago! Just trust me Blue, I know where we’re going. I can feel it.”

Blue rubbed at his cheek as he kept his eyes on the road and his mouth shut. He wanted to cry, he wanted to hit Bill back. But the yellow demon was right. He really did know where to go even if he couldn’t quite pinpoint where it was they were going. He should’ve expected that Bill would hit him in the first place. The bigger demon did have a shorter temper and was always been so easy to lash out at everyone. God, Blue could not wait until they found the new Dipper so that someone could put Bill in his place.

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Willow came running down the thin glass stairs and crashing onto the family’s large white couch where they all sat. He laid on his stomach and stared at them all with a strange smile. May rolled her eyes as an odd smile crept onto her face as well, “What is it Snow White?”

Willow sat up quickly, excitement in his eyes, “Well we start school tomorrow, like actual school! We finally get to be normal kids for once!”

His mother turned to look at him with a scowl, “What do you mean “normal kids”? You  _ are _ normal kids honey. Just because you’re homeschooled doesn’t make you any different from other kids your age.”

“Maybe, but by this time most of the kids have known each other for years. We don’t know anyone. I’m 10 years old yet I have no friends. That doesn’t sound very normal.”

His mother opened her mouth to respond, but his father beat her to it, “Well then tiger,” he shut the tv off as he began to stand from the couch, “I suggest you get up to bed. Normal kids have bedtimes on school nights. So both of you, up to bed so you can wake up bright and early for your first day.”

Willow went running up the stairs with his sister right behind his heels. Even though he was too excited to even get into bed, Willow passed out the moment he was tucked in and comfortable. Unfortunately his peaceful sleep would soon be disturbed.

_ Willow stood alone in a large dark forest. Trees loomed over his small body, fighting over space in the cramped environment. The moons bright glow struggled to make its way between their leaves to light the way for Willow. His eyes strained as they tried to make out the shapes in the dark. Luckily for him, a glowing light began to approach him. He slowly began to walk closer to where it was coming from, only to realize that it was coming towards him at an alarming pace. He stammered backwards as something came flying past him. After regaining his balance, he went running after it. The light made its way to a cave, burying itself as deep inside as it could. Willow followed it in. He stood before it as he slowly reached his hands out to grab it. Once the glow lapped at his fingertips it cleared away to reveal a body. A man was pressed against the end of the cave. Fear was the only thing he saw.  _

The last thing Willow saw before waking up was the person being drowning in darkness. He sat up to look around his empty room. He’s had this dream before. It was nothing new to him. But never before had he seen the face of the man that stood before him. Willow laid back down to fall right back asleep. 

May cracked the door open to see Willow tangled up in his blankets and lightly snoring. With a giggle, she tiptoed further into his room to stand beside him. She reached her hand out only to quickly slam it against his body and violently shake him awake, “Get up Snow! It’s our first day and here you are still sleeping!”

Willow turned his tired green eyes to look at his sister. Her bright smile did little to make him forget his sleepless night, “Bubbles, I had a strange dream all of last night. It was the same dream that just wouldn’t stop repeating.”

May flopped onto her stomach as she propped her chin on her small hands. Her smile faded away to nothing, “You’ve been complaining about weird dreams for a few months now. What was this one about? Still having to do with that blond person? Maybe you have some special psychic powers and you can see into the future and all you’re seeing is yourself.”

Willow chuckled at her, “No, that’s not it. It’s not me. But everytime I dream about that person I wake up as if I’ve lived through that dream already. Like it’s not just some random thing my head came up with. It feels like a distant memory.”

A sigh came from the girl as she rolled out of the bed, “We’ve already had this talk, maybe you should talk to mom and dad about this.” May left the room without another word and went humming down the halls to her bathroom.

Willow glanced around his room, thinking about his sisters words. Willow was no stranger to telling his parents the strange things that happened to him as he was growing up, but he was also no stranger to being dismissed. His parents always told him that there was nothing to worry about, that he was just special. Truth was, his parents didn’t know what was wrong with him either. Willow might be just some little kid, but he was aware of all the tests his parents had done on him in order to find the source of his habits. Yet no matter how hard they tried, they could never find an answer. 

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Willow and May’s first year in public school was a little strange and odd for the both of them. They had grown so used to being with each other while they were learning and seeing each other every second of the day that being separated for 8 hours felt wrong. Yet, they were able to adjust and get along with their peers by the following years. May quickly got along with anyone that was within a foot of her. She was loved by staff and students with her charming personality and relatively good grades. Willow on the other hand had a bit of trouble making friends. His disease kept him from running around and playing with the other kids, he was often left to sit on the bench watching as everyone around him got to run and have fun. Luckily for him as the years went by and they got older, play time was turned into sitting around talking or rushing to finish homework before class and Willow was well known for being one of the smartest kids around. 

So while May made her many friends, Willow had the entire school wanting to hang around with him, but he did have his small group of close friends that he really considered to be friends. It was good for the both of them considering the fact that their parents became more and more busy with their business to be around for their children. May preferred to be away with friends rather than sitting at home in the big empty space. Willow was in the middle, he did enjoy his time alone, sitting in the library making a mess with his paints. Yet there were still days where he’d disappear on hours to go on adventures with his friends. For the Hawthorn siblings, life growing up was great compared to most. Even if their parents stopped being around, they still had each other and found ways to keep them busy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's about to crush all your hopes and dreams! Unfortunately life has gotten a little too busy and I haven't really had the time to work on the rough draft of this story, so from here on out things are gonna start slowing down in their updates. Don't worry though! I'm not putting this on pause, just instead of updating every weekend, it'll be whenever I find the time to finish another chapter... Sorry about this but I'm gonna try to work through the whole rough draft so that we can get back to a normal schedule! Thank you for the love and support!


	7. Obsession

After 9 years on the road, the demon twins ended up in a small town located on the coast of Rhode Island. The pair found that it would be best for them to lie low while they built up an identity for themselves in preparation of Dipper’s 18th birthday. Bill had left to the nearby “big city” for meetings, leaving Blue at their small home in their small town. Luckily for the both of them this meeting happened to line up with the twins monthly visit. Blue sat in the living room as he worked on charts and presentations. Mabel stood in front of the projector as he worked, critiquing every little edit he made. Dipper was in the kitchen preparing tea for the three of them. 

Mabel pinched the bridge of her nose, “No you idiot, I said two millimeters to your right! Not mine!”

Blue rolled his eyes, but did as he was told, “You know Mabel, this doesn’t have to be picture perfection level of work. Mine and Bill’s business is doing amazing, the only reason we’re still doing this shit is because we need to pass the time for another year or two.”

Mabel spun around to look at the demon with anger in her eyes, “Did you really just talk back to me? Who the fuck do you think you are?! I outta snap your fucking neck just for talking to me with such a bad tone!”

Dipper stood in the hallway glaring at her, “And I outta snap your amulet in half for yelling when you don’t need to be. I know that this is a change, and a really big one for you, but you know you’re not supposed to be treating him like a slave anymore.”

She blinked at them before nodding, “Yeah you’re right, I’m sorry Blue. I guess that the amulet still has a bit of control over me.”

“It’s fine, I wasn’t expecting the spell to work immediately or completely. But I’m pretty happy with how it’s turned out so far.”

Seven months ago, on one of their visits, Blue got into an argument with the twins which resulted in punches being thrown (mainly coming from Bill). Blue had appreciated how hard they had been trying over the last 300 years to be kinder to him, but sadly the amulets had too strong of a hold on them. After a handful of insults and threats thrown at each other, the guilt set into Dipper as he realized just how fucked up he’d been to his own soulmate. So with that, they allowed Bill to enchant their amulets in hopes of suppressing its control over them. Within the next few visits alone they had begun to notice a difference in the twins. First off, they were both smiling. Secondly, Dipper was actually loving towards Blue rather than treating him like a pet. At long last, the twins had finally started to become themselves again. 

\--------------------------------------------------

Willow sat by the window in his and May’s shared studio. His gaze was focused on the snow that fell outside. Even at the age of 16 his parents were against him going outside unless necessary. He frowned as he watched the people below enjoy the first winter snow while he was locked up inside. This was one of the days where he just wished he could’ve been born healthy, like his younger sister. As they got older, she began going out more and more, leaving Willow alone in their family’s too large apartment. On these days, the only thing that truly brought him joy was watching as May came into view and made her way into their apartment building. He turned back to his sculpture beside him with a sigh and a quick glance at the sketch. 

Willow had thousands of drawings of just this one face hidden throughout his room. It was a face that haunted his dreams that plagued him every night. If he were to tell the truth, he couldn’t pinpoint the first time he had seen it, what he does know is that he’s always known it. He also knew that he had to keep his obsession with whoever this person was a secret from his family. Yet the dream that Willow had of the man last night was so haunting that he felt compelled to wake up in the middle of the night and begin sculpting him. So there he sat at three in the afternoon with no sleep from the previous night, simply sculpting the day away.

May came bouncing into the room to dump bags of fabric onto her tables. She hummed as she began organizing them and pulling out her mannequin. She stopped beside Willow as she looked over the face, “Hmm, are you dreaming of your perfect boyfriend? I’ll admit Snow, he’s pretty damn cute.”

Willow’s thumb rubbed over the sculpture's lips as he watched his sister walk away, “More like I had an idea that I loved so much that I had to make it. I know that you know exactly what I’m talking about Miss I had to wake up at 6 am in order to make it to the fabric store the moment it opened.”

May tossed a container onto her stool with a hollow thump that shot an odd chill down Willow’s spine. Normally May would go on a rave about the different types of fabrics that she had just bought and the importance of being the first there before the good stuff is gone. But this time, she just stared at him with sad emptiness, and a hint of pity. Her eyes were focused on the closet that stood behind her brother. Willow slowly began to turn to look at what she had been staring at, but he was stopped by her sad tone, “I care about you, you know that right? I know you’re lying. I wanted to give you the chance to tell me about it yourself, and trust me I really didn’t want to bring this up, but I know this isn’t some sporadic concept. I’ve seen the drawings Willow. I’ve walked in on you napping on your desk with that same face drawn on every single paper. And this wasn’t just a one time thing either. So tell me who he is. Is he some guy you met on the internet a few years ago that you’re madly in love with but you’ve been keeping it a secret until you’re 18 so that you can leave without a word to be with him? Is he some crush of yours from a coffee shop? Or is this about those dreams of yours?”

Willow sat up straight as he swallowed hard. His eyes darted around his sibling as he tried to think of something to get him out of this situation. He couldn’t change the subject, that would just piss May off even more. He couldn’t flat out ignore her because then she’d go straight to their parents about it, or even worse his therapist. He could try to make a run for it and lock himself in a different room until she forgets about it, but May’s station was closer to the door than his. Fuck it. Willow stood slowly as he placed down his sculpting tools and looked at her with a faint smile. Without another word, Willow darted out of the room and down the halls. He rushed into his room with May right behind him. As he turned to slam the door shut, her foot jammed its way in the door frame. He began to panic as he tried to push her foot away with his own and close the door. Unfortunately, that panic made him slip up and his pressure against the door slacked long enough for May to push her way in. Willow made a last ditch effort to block his desk drawers, “It’s nothing May, you’re just seeing things. I know that I suffer from same face syndrome with my art, there’s no need to be so harsh about it.”

May’s patience was running thin. With a huff, she turned to his nightstand and pulled the drawer out with so much force that it shot out onto the floor, exposing his drawings of the face, “If it really was same face syndrome, then why the eyepatch in every picture? Why the same shape lips? Why the same fucking hair style? Why the same fucking gold eye that you feel the need to color in with every fucking drawing?!” she held up a few examples as she made her way closer to him, “Tell me the truth or I swear to god I’m calling doctor Hablid and making him come over right now for a session.”

Willow’s green eyes began to swell as he fell to the floor. He had never spoken a word about this to anyone. He had kept it a secret from his own sibling for the past 13 years. He was so afraid of how anyone would react about this that he hadn’t even told his therapist. And now, his lies and secrets had finally caught up to him when he least expected it. May stood over him in anger as he laid on the floor sobbing. She let out a deep sigh as she slowly began to kneel beside him and placed a hand on his head, “I’m sorry Willow. I shouldn’t have gone about it this way. It’s just that I’ve been so worried about you and this obsession of yours. You always tell me everything, no matter how embarrassing it is! I guess this secret of yours just upset me too much that I lashed out more than I should have. I’m sorry, you can tell me when you’re ready to. I shouldn’t be trying to force anything out of you.”

Willow slowly reached up to hold her hand in his, “No, it’s alright. You’ve got a point, I shouldn’t have kept this a secret. Let’s go make some hot cocoa and get comfy and I promise I’ll tell you everything.”

May and Willow sat on the couch with their mugs and snacks scattered around them. “So,” May glanced up at him, “I know you’ve complained about repetitive dreams before, but you’ve never said what they’re about before. Is he always in them?”

Willow took a deep breath before speaking, “In every single dream, yea he’s in them. I’ve never had a dream that he’s not in. I don’t even know who he is which scares me even more. You know how the brain can’t make up faces? That it has to have seen them somewhere before? I feel like that might be the case, but then it brings up the question as to why only that person and no one else? And every night it’s only a repeat of one dream.”

May slowly nodded, “That is super odd. Maybe you did see him somewhere and your brain just thought he was that beautiful that it never wanted to forget him.” she offered him a weak smile.

May was always a sweetheart when it came to helping out her brother. She knew exactly what to say when he was lost and confused. But this time, she was just as lost as he was. There was no way to explain what was going on with her brother. All she could really do was pull him in for a hug and apologize for making it worse on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you'd think that being stuck under quarantine would make me feel like i have time to work on this story, when in reality i almost forgot i was doing thing...hopefully i'll be able to actually work on the story now that im stuck at home!!


	8. Beautiful Stranger

Willow woke up to his younger sister jumping on his bed screaming. She fell beside him in a fit of giggles. He sat up to see his sleepy parents standing in his doorway holding a cupcake in their hands. A small candle on top was the only light source in the room. Willow rubbed at his eyes, “May, I love you but why?”

She quickly rolled over him to land gracefully onto her feet beside his bed, “Because my beautiful Snow White, it’s your birthday! You’re finally 18!” she jumped back on top of him, “You’re finally old enough to move out and take me with you! Pack your things Will! We leave at sunrise!”

A small laugh came from their parents as they approached the bed, “Very funny miss. Neither of you are moving out just yet. Now Willow, we love you son but please blow out the candle so we can all go back to bed.” his mother held the cupcake out to him with a small smile.

With a light smack to his sister’s back, he blew out the candle. His mother placed it on his nightstand before leaving the room with his father behind her. May rolled off to the other side of the bed. She held her head up by her hands as she laid on her stomach and stared at her brother. Willow watched as his parents left and slowly closed the door. Without missing a beat, his smile dropped, “Alright Bubbles, they’re gone. Now out with you. I need my beauty rest!”

May’s legs began to move behind her earning Willow’s attention. Her gaze had moved down to the blanket wrinkles in front of her, “Do you think I could actually go with you when you do move out?”

He tilted his head as a deep frown set, “Why would you say that? You’re closer to mom and dad than I am. I thought you loved them.”

May’s brown eyes shot up to his green eyes in a panic, “That’s not what I mean! I do love them. They’ve done so much for us. Maybe even a little too much. But I just feel like I have to be what they want me to be in return for everything they've done. It’s like I’m not allowed to be myself and follow my dreams. I have to follow their dreams and become their ideal perfect little girl. All of my friends get an endless amount of support from their parents. Yet how much support do we get from mom and dad? We have to give them presentations on why we should be getting supplies for our studio. You remember how hard it was for us to convince them to give us that spare room?!” May’s head fell to the bed in defeat, “It sucks seeing all of my friends get so much support. Shellie’s parents gave her a sewing machine for her birthday to help her on her dream of being a fashion designer. You’ve seen how passionate I am. Why don’t mom and dad like anything that I make? Why can’t they just let me follow my dreams instead of theirs?”

May stiffened when she felt Willow’s cold hand rest on her head. He gave her a bright beaming smile, “May, you know I would never do or say anything to hurt you. You’re my little sister and I love you. I only want what’s best for you. I believe in you. But the thing is, you’re not as passionate as you think or say you are. If you really were then you’d be doing everything you could for your dreams rather than acting defeated by mom and dad’s reaction. Do you think they agreed with my art? Do you think they’re happy I’m choosing art as my major for when I start college next semester? I’ve been fighting for this since I was 8. If fashion is what you absolutely want more than anything in life, then you have to be willing to fight for it no matter who gets in your way. If you don’t, then you don’t truly love it. Tell you what, your birthday is in a couple months so I’ll grant your wish and buy you a machine.”

May shot up from the bed. She grabbed her brother’s hands in hers with a teary smile, “Oh Snow White you really don’t have to! I know it’s your own hard earned money from your commissions to your job. You shouldn’t be spending it on me!”

Willow rolled his eyes, “Cut the crap, which one do you want?”

May released his hands to roll off his bed and make her way to his desk. She cracked open his laptop to let the bright screen blind Willow behind her. There was already a page opened and ready to go on his laptop and Willow couldn’t help but feel a mixture of annoyance and pride in his little sister for being so cunning, “Of course you would’ve been planning this. Black card,” he tossed his wallet to her, “Don’t buy anything else. And close my door when you leave.”

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It was the weekend after Willow’s birthday, and tonight was the last gift he was waiting for. As a birthday gift to his favorite student to ever enter his classes, Willow’s art teacher allowed him to put up a handful of his pieces for their towns yearly art festival. It was a three day event that started with artwork of all kinds and ended in the towns art museum holding the more valuable and impressive pieces. It was always a dream of Willows since he was a child. He knew tonight would be an important step in his career. The final day of the festival was when the real critics came out to decide the fate of the artists. Willow’s heart was racing as he stood in front of the large glass doors. Behind them held his future. With a deep breath, and a quick tie adjustment, he opened the doors and walked in. His teacher was the first to greet him, “Good evening Willow! I’m happy to tell you that your pieces have already received a number of offers and we barely opened the doors to the public an hour ago!”

Willow held a beaming smile on his pale face. As he opened his mouth to respond to the older man, his younger sister showed up to dramatically throw herself onto him. She looked up at him with her signature toothy grin. “Congrats Snow! I’m so proud of you. Mom and dad have been telling everyone that their son painted these. Come on!” she released him to instead grab his hand and lead him away.

Willow followed behind the excited girl and into the next room over. Willow’s eyes darted around at the other paintings, though the only thing he found beautiful wasn’t hung to a wall. May brought him to a stop beside their parents. He took his eyes away to greet his parents. Once they were finished bragging to him, they turned their attention to the other guests to continue their bragging. Willow looked over his shoulder to confirm his suspicion, only to feel his heart sink to his stomach. Standing in the corner of the room was a tall slender man with a face that haunted his dreams. Panic began to set in his body as his hand searched for his sister’s. She looked down at his hand, then over her shoulder, then back at her brother, “Holy shit Will! I thought he was just a figment of your imagination. I never thought he’d be a real person!”

Willow tugged their hands towards the wall were his paintings hung. In between all six of them sat his most recent sculpture. May’s eyes fixed to the grey mass as realization struck her. She gave his hand a squeeze before disappearing into the crowd. Willow kept his back to the majority of the crowded room for most of the night, keeping himself distracted with all the compliments and questions about commissions or apprenticeships. As the night came to a thinning end, Willow was finally brave enough to look around the room. He damn near fainted when he saw his sister in the other room stopping the tall stranger from leaving. Willow swore he could’ve died right then and there when he saw his sister begin tugging on the mans sleeve and began walking in his direction.

Willow looked back to the small group he was with only to realize that they had headed over to a nearby food table to snatch up the remaining snacks. He clenched his fists as his sister's bubbly giggles came into ear shot. His body went colder than the arctic when he felt her finger tap on his shoulder. Willow turned around slowly and with small steps in an attempt to hide his sculpture behind his body. “Snow White, this is Bill.” Willow felt a sharp pain in his temple upon hearing the oddly familiar name, “He and his brother just moved to town a few months ago. And before you kill me, just know that I love you so much, but I accidentally told him about the sculpture so stop trying to hide it. Okay bye!” and with that, May skipped away from the both of them to find her parents.

A chuckle came from the stranger as he watched Willow nervously fidget with his sleeves, “I didn’t realize that there was a Disney princess living in New York.”

Willow let out a nervous laugh, “Yeah, it’s what my sister likes to call me. My hair was snow white when I was born, and I’m unable to tan so the nickname stuck.”

“She does have a point, but I think Snowflake works better. Beautiful as one would be too.” he gave a soft yet stunning smile to the shorter man.

Willow felt his hands tugging at the side of his pants as panic began to rise in his veins, “Thank you, now about the art pieces?”

Another spine tingling chuckle came from the man, “Oh right, well honestly, I’m more interested in the artist than the actual art.”

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May carefully and slowly pushed open the door leading to Willow’s room. He sat at his desk huddled over something that she couldn't see with music blaring through his headphones loud enough for her to hear it faintly from where she stood. The only source of light came from the moon outside his window and his desk lamp. May waltz over to his bed and plopped down, rolling over to rest her head in her palms and stare at her brother. She lifted a pillow beside her and tossed it towards Willow. There was a small gasp and jump that came from him as annoyed eyes turned towards her. He let out a huff of air and a smile as he turned in his chair to look at her, his body draped dramatically over the old thing, “What are you doing up so late Bubbles?”

She smiled back at him, “I could ask you the same thing Snow, don’t you have somewhere to be tomorrow?” red flushed over Willow’s face, “Don’t try hiding it from me! I saw you give him your number! So, when’s the wedding? Can I come with you on your honeymoon?”

Willow rolled his eyes at her, throwing the pillow back at her, “Why? Are you jealous?”

May’s face scrunched up, “No! Don’t get me wrong, he’s a Greek god of a man, but I just get a weird vibe from him, ya know? Especially since he so perfectly matches that guy you're obsessed with.”

Willow froze up as his hand slipped against the desk to knock a piece of paper off. He leaned back against the table as he began to nervously laugh. May rolled off the bed and stood in front of him with her arms folded over her chest, “Oh let me guess, you’re drawing him again? And why are you laughing? I get it, you might be head over heels in love with this guy or blinded by his looks, but I’m concerned about you and I’m not sure this is a good idea. So will you take this seriously?”

His bright smile dropped as he stood to hug her, “May, I am taking this seriously. I’m just as freaked out as you are and I know you want me to tell doctor Hablid about this, but I’d rather work this one out on my own.” he let her go to retrieve his drawing, “And I get it, why would I go hang out with some random person I’ve never met before yet knew his face since birth? I’m not too sure myself, but I just feel like if I get to know him maybe I’ll figure it out down the road. So please, just let me do this. And if things get too weird, I promise you I’ll stop and tell them what’s been happening.”

May tilted her head back to let out a loud groan, “Alright fine, I don’t want to get in the way of you figuring things out. Besides I’m just as curious as you are. Just be careful.”

His bright smile returned, “I always am!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> back from the dead, enjoy this bittersweet moment of happiness


	9. Update!

I'm back from the dead to lay something to rest. It's with heavy heart that I finally and officially announce the end of this story. 

When I first wrote up the first one, I always saw it as my one and only. I never planned a sequel and I never cared for it. It just felt a little draggy to write out a sequel. Like it would just be a copy of the original, like hey can I copy your homework? Sure, just change a few things though. At first, I was actually excited at the thought of writing this, but then as I actually sat down to create it, I was met with frustration. I put in so much to make the first one that I just came to a blank with this one. I don't have any direction for this. I don't have the same passion and excitement that I felt for the first one. I simply wrote this one to please those who had wished for a sequel. But now I realized that I never should have. I should have released a couple bonus chapters to wrap up all the loose ends that I left hanging in the air. 

So, thank you to those who loved and supported the first story. And thank you to those who were excited to see this one through. But I can't. I'm unhappy with how it's going and I'm unhappy at the thought of it. So this is the end of the line for this sequel. However, I do enjoy writing and I do enjoy the lives I've created for these characters so I will not be labeling this story as complete just yet. As of now, I have no desire to continue the story, but who knows, maybe later on I'll find the love again to finish this story.

Again, thank you all so much, but this is it. I'm sorry for not being able to finish this. 


End file.
